Animal-trap.



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NXHAL TRA?.

APPLICATION FILED PEB. 29, 1912.

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R. L. CRAWFORD.

ANIMAL TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED 1123.29, 1912.

Patented Feb. 25, 19113.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 5141 'van fo c l; .l ./"n

@Hozneca ROBERT L. CRAWFORD, 0F FRANKLN, lDli emotie? Specification of Letters Patent.

To .fill Qr/iom. l 'mo/y concern y Be it lrnon'n that i, ROBERT L. (luiwronn1w a citizen ot' the United States. residing at lfr-anlfliin in the `County or" Johnson and State of indiana. have invented certain new and useinl improvements inAninial'- Traps; and I do declare the following" to be a` tnll7 clear.y and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,

This invention relates to improvements in anima traps and particularly to the vclass or self and ever set traps.

One ol ijeet niain portion ot' u'liieh formed from a single piece of metal eut and bent into the desired shape..

To this end the invention consists of eertain novel features ot' construction.l and Jdie Combination and arrangement otl parts as will he more fully described and claimed.

ln, the aeeoi'npanyine` drawings; Figure l is a perspective View of niy improved trap; Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudinal seetion thereof; Fig; 3 is a vertical cross seetion on the line of Fig. 2; Fig. t is a detail perspective View of one of the trap d'ors; 5 is a planvien7 of the blank from which the'inain portion of the body of the trap isvifornied.

My improved trap comprises a body portion l eonstrucred of sheet metal. The main portion or sides and top of the body are formed from a single metal blank or' substantially rectangular shape, said blank be, ingl bent, interniediately of its ends to form a rectangular oblong deine 3, which extends the entire length of the trap. The ends 0i' the blank after being leent to form the dome are oent outwardly and downwardly at right angles to form the sides s of the body. The extremities or outer edges of the ends of the blank after forming the sides of the body are lient laterally at right angles to forni guide fianges 5 the purpose of which Will be hereinafter described. ln the center of the blank or the portion thereof forming the top of the dome 3 is eut a longitudinally disposed slit-6 at the ends of which the blank is out laterally at right angles as shown at 7. the ends ot' the right angular outs 7 tion oit' ihe nieta ents .7 and 8 and of the .drinn are oei angles tothe top of with the sides thereof o forni parallel @Seide Hannes 9 Wlneh provide a run Way or iireet the Course of the eninialonto the tran doors 'the trap doors to he described. The ends or of ine invention is io provide a trap of this character having;l an improved 2 construction and arrangement ot body, the

the oody when formed in the deserilied are elosed by suitably shaped'end pieces im which are secured thereto in. any suitabiefnianner and which are preferably provided in their upper portions ,with air holes i3.

Theiiottonrot the a plaie i4.- ha'ving' it ec ges inent up- Wardly and inwardly forni .enide Ways lo which are slidably engaged with the guide flanges 5 on tliesides of the body. @ne end ot the bottoni plate le is leent upwardly in the forni ot' a coil which provides a handle 1G whereby the plate may be readily shifted to open and elosed positions. Jhen. thus constructed and arrane'el the plate lll may loe readily thrown hack to open one end of the bottoni 'the trap for the purpose of discharging or removing the animals eanght therein. A

The opening inthe top off the drinn 3 formed by he out out and upwardly bent flanges 9 provides the yinlet i7V through wliieh the animals enter the trap. vThe inis in. the forni of `let l? is normally closed by trap doors 18 piyotally mounted in the-'Webs l0 of alle flanges 9 by 'trnnnions 19 whioh are prei:- erably cut frein tire. material forming* the doors. The irnnnions 19 are arranged nearer the inneriends of the doorsv than the outer ends so that thelonger outer ends will over-balance 'the inner ends end will swing the doors to a closed position after being opened loy the weight of the animals on the inner ends thereofy as will loe herein after described, Allie portion of the doors between the trnnnions and the inner ends thereoi2 isiof sach lengt-li that the inner ends The diagonal, cuts S' leo of the doors ineet at a 'point midway between the ends of the inlet opening' l? and the side and edges 0 said inner porl so tions of the doors are bent downwardly in the form of right angular flanges Q0 which stillen this' portion of the door plates and form smooth rounded edges on the ends ot theI doors which will prevent the animal from obtaining a foothold on said ends when the door tilts downwardly under the weight of the animal. When thus arranged the outer'longer and heavier ends of' the doors will normally engage and rest upon the top of the outer ends of the dome, said portion of the dome thus forming supports for the outer ends of the trap doors whereby the latter are nol'mally maintained in a closed horizontal position.

Secured to the guide flanges 9 which form the passageway from the central portion of the dome are bait hooks 21 of wire and have their sh anks bent toform loops Q2,which are engaged with notches 23 in the upper edges of the flanges 9, said Shanks then c'X- tending downwardly across the. outer sides of the flanges and having their ends bent inwardly and inserted through apertures a 24: in the lower portion of the iianges as shown. One of the hooks 21 is arranged in the flange of one side of the dome adjacent to the end of one of the trap doors 18, while the hook on the opposite flange is arranged adjacent to the end of the other trap door.

ln the operation of the trap the animal attracted by the bait jumps upon the top of the dome at the end thereof or upon. the outer portions of the trap doors engaging this portion of the dome, and uponmoving toward the; bait, Walks into the inner end of one or the other of the trapdoors whereupon the weight of the animal upon this free end of the door will over-balance the same, causing said end to tilt downwardly, thus discharging the animal into the trap. As soon as the animal is discharged from the end of the trap door the longer heavier outer ond of the same will over-balance the inner end and normally swing the door back to a closed position `and ready to receive and catch the next animal attracted by the bait,4

which it will be understood, is never reached by the animals, and consequently may be repeatedly used thereby obviating the necessity of' frequent-ly rebaiting the hook.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operationv of the invention will be readily understoodwithout requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form7 proportion and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle oiv sacrificing any of the advanagesot' the invention as claimed.

Having' thus described my invent-ion, what I claim is:

1. ln an animaltrap oit the character de-i scribed, a body portion having a dome, the top and sides of said dome and body being cut and formed from a sheet metal blank, said blank being slitted along the central portion and having transverse cuts at the ends of said slit, said slitted portions of the metal being adapted to be bent upwardly to form guide flanges with an inlet opening between the same in the topef the dome` a bottom plate secured to the body and adapted to be opened to permit the discharge of the animals caught in the trap, end pieces secured to the ends of the body and dome, and trap doors pivotally mounted between the guide flanges on the dome and adapted to normally close the inlet opening therein and to swing downwardly at their' inner ends under the weight of an animal passing thereon.

2. ln an animal trap of the character described, a body portion having a dome, the' top and sides of'said dome and body being out and formed 'trom a sheet/ metal blank, said blank being slitted along the central portion of the top of the dome and having therein transverse cuts at the ends of lsaid slit. said slitted portions of the metal being adapted to be' bent upwardly in line with the sides of the dometo form the 'guide flanges of a runway' formed by the top of -v the dome, said flanges when bent upwardly also forming an inlet opening between the same in the top of the dome,'laterally project- 'ing flanges formed on 'the lower edges ot the body, a bottom plate'havingl its edges bent inwardly to ftonnguides adapted. to be engagged with the flanges on the lower edges of' the body whereby said bot-tom plate is slidably secured tothe body and adapted to be opened to permit the discharge of the animals caughtin the trap, end pieces secured to the ends of the body and dome and having therein yentilating openings and trap doors pivotally mounted between the guide flanges on the dome and adapted to.`A 110 

